''Qantas'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of trematosauroid

temnospondyl Temnospondyli (from Greek language, Greek τέμνειν, ''temnein'' 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, ''spondylos'' 'vertebra') is a diverse order (biology), order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered Labyrinthodontia, primitive amphi ...

from the

Early Triassic The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic Period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic Series, which is a un ...

. Fossils have been found from the Kamennyi Yar Formation in Borsky District, Samara Oblast. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

''Qantas samarensis'' was named in 2012 and placed in the family Benthosuchidae, as it was viewed as a close relative of ''

Benthosuchus ''Benthosuchus'' (meaning "deep water crocodile") is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the Early Triassic of Russia. It was primarily aquatic, living in rivers and lakes. Multiple species are known, with the largest reaching abo ...

''. The subfamily Qantasinae was established to include ''Qantas'', and possibly the genus ''

Tirraturhinus ''Tirraturhinus'' is an extinct genus of trematosaurian temnospondyl within the family Trematosauridae. See also * Prehistoric amphibian * List of prehistoric amphibians This list of prehistoric amphibians is an attempt to create a comprehensiv ...

''. ''Qantas'' is named after the Australian airline

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

, which supported the original study of the fossils.

Phylogeny

''Qantas'' in a

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to d ...

after Novikov (2018) with only Early Triassic Eastern Europe taxa included:

References

Triassic temnospondyls Extinct animals of Russia {{temnospondyli-stub